Purple Eyed Cat
by Capiorcorpus
Summary: Oneshot. Just a story about PounceFaithful. Possible sequalsp?


Disclaimer: I do not own Tortall at all; I have created this story using characters and a world created by Tamora Pierce.

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H.E. 427

Faithful padded across the empty room towards the open window and leapt onto

the sill. He noted the position of the sun below the horizon of buildings and city wall, and

purred. It was his personal favorite time of day. People were getting ready for the

darkness of night and all the ensued. He had enjoyed many pilferings of fish at sunset, for

the shadows were long and his dark coat prevented notice until too late, much to

multiple fishermans dismay. He didn't steal often, but when he did, it was always from

those who could afford it.

Time passed as he contemplated his exploits on the docks and when he rejoined

the present world, night had truly fallen. Searching the stars he found the constellations

one by one; the dog, the great goddess, the tauros, the centaur, the oak, the hero, the

ram, the twin dragons, and many others. But there was one more constellation he didn't

find but there was a reason for that, he laughed to himself but if there had been any

unknown listeners all they would have heard was a ripple of _mrts_, Kora had been right

the constellation 'the cat' was known to wander.

George opened the wooden door to the chamber he shared with Alanna, hoping to

find her, but all he found was a room devoid of anything but furniture and Faithful, who

happened to be gazing up at the stars. Chuckling he strode towards the open window and

its occupant. "Communing with your brethren among the stars, or just enjoying the

view?" George didn't expect a reply. Faithful never really talked to anyone besides

Alanna with much consistency. Yet to his well hidden amazement he received an answer.

_Neither. Tonight is for memories_. And with that confusing conundrum still lingering in

George's ears Faithful jumped off the sill and into the room then slinked out to remember

elsewhere.

_That was different_, George thought to himself watching Faithful's tail flick as he

brushed past George. Faithful, being a cat, of course never gave a straight answer, though

that had been the clearest riddle he had ever heard from Faithful when he did talk to

George besides warning when Alanna was in trouble. George wondered what memories

he could have been so into that he slipped in showing the world a normal cat with

abnormal eyes.

George eventually discovered Alanna searching a storage room. "What are you

looking for?" She blushed. He raised his eyebrows. "Not that it's really important I was

just wondering why you had disappeared after sword practice."

"I ran out of bruise balm and Rispah mentioned that you had some in here."

"Oh that's alright lass but I was trying to find you and ran into Faithful and he acted

strange."

"Strange?"

"Yeah he gave me a straight answer when I asked him something and the fact that he

answered was enough reason to mention it to you."

"Straight answer? This the same Faithful who is a black cat been with me since being a

squire? He never gives a straight answer."

"I know that's why I was wondering if you had given him any catnip or something that

can explain his statement."

"No not that I know. What did you say that you didn't get a riddle, and what did he

respond with?"

"I asked if he was communing with the stars or just watching the night life. He had been

staring at the stars in the heavens quite intently. He just said 'Neither. Tonight is for

memories' and left."

"Hmm I guess he was just remembering something, hopefully it will wear off within a

couple of hours."

And with that George leaned towards Alanna and she forgot all about silly cats, for

George kissed her and led her back to their room, after checking to make sure Faithful

wasn't contemplating anything else in them.

_**The next morning………………**_

George opened the oak chest and gazed at everything contained in its silk covered

insides. Most of what occupied the chest was from his childhood; a bag of marbles, his

first dagger, and the statue that his mother had shown him when he was just a stripling

and started to steal. His mother had given him the statue from the shrine when he became

the Rogue. She had thrown up her hands in mock and real despair and cried out,

"Goddess help me I've got a thief for a son and he is the King of them all."

She had eventually accepted it and got used to it but she had given him the statue

and shrine 'to protect him from what he came from' and he had placed it in here. He

lifted it out and gazed at it and remembered what him mother had said about their famous

ancestress, _"She had blue eyes, the color of ice, that people said could see the dead, so _

_the story goes, but she also never really confirmed it, but if she did have it, it was bred _

_out of our family centuries ago for I hadn't heard about it in anyone in any late _

_generations. At that point a young George had pointed at the cat sitting at the woman's _

_feet, "Who's that?"_

_Eleni had replied with, "That's her cat, in the tales I've heard he had special gifts _

_too, apparently he could talk to people but I think that's just ridiculous I mean cats are _

_smart but not that intelligent."_

_George then asked, "What color where his eyes" looking up at his mam._

_She searched his face for a moment before replying, "They say that they were purple, but _

_how did you know they were odd and not the normal green?"_

_George brushed at the statue with fingertips, "I dunno it's just seemed that despite the _

_paint being worn off they weren't supposed to be green."_

_Then Eleni told him the story of Rebakah Cooper and her violet eyed cat Pounce._

George now recalled that conversation despite it being buried in his past in the

Lower City, because it had been the first time his mother had told the tale of Rebakah, he

grinned, she had reprimanded him many times after that when he stole with the tale, but

then the grin faded away, he now really wanted to have a real conversation with Faithful

and ask him some questions especially if what he had been remembering had to do with

multiple centuries past. For that statue bore a remarkable resemblance to Faithful.

The next day…………

George had searched all over for that blasted cat but it seemed that when he had

left the bedchamber the other night he had effectively disappeared. He had even gone to

the courtyard where Alanna practiced her sword work, which Faithful usually watched,

but not today. After regarding Alanna's fancy foot work to avoid Marek's daggers he

abandoned the shadowed doorway in search still for Faithful.

Alanna bathed after weapons practice in the iron tub that had been placed in her

now empty chambers which she had emptied after joining George in his chambers. To get

all the sweat out of her hair she dunked her head under the water and scrubbed it briskly.

Coming up gasping for breath she noticed out of the corner of her eye Faithful sitting on

the towel placed on a convenient stool near by. Grabbing the towel, making Faithful jump

off she told him "George is looking for you," conversationally.

He gave her a dirty look.

"Does it have to do with your past?"

Another dirty look.

"Of course, it's not everyday you let something out that you generally wouldn't and to

him of all people. He will not tell anyone else, but he mentioned it to me 'cause I guess

I'm the one who knows you best, but even I don't know you entirely."

_Good, that's how it's supposed to be_. It was her turn for giving a dirty look. She sighed.

"Are you going to talk to him? "_Perhaps._ "George is quite persistent in satisfying his

curiosity, in fact almost like a cat." Faithful stared up at Alanna's purple eyes, so like his

own, and remembered a different time.

_58 H.E._

_The man looked around him at what the king had gifted him with. He let loose a chuckle. _

"_Now that's what I call a gift." He had been given a parcel of land and knighted for his _

_efforts for the crown. He had in fact defeated an entire gang of bandits single handedly, _

_though it had helped that his Gift was a major one. _

_He had risen quickly at the Mage school established in Corus, the new capital. Though _

_the fact that he had to hide most of his Gift's abilities. It wouldn't have been a good thing _

_for his teachers to question anything about the orphan they had taken in just a decade _

_before. His purple eyes had caused him enough problems as it were without him _

_revealing everything he knew. He was young in many of the Gods' eyes but he would _

_prove himself worthy of his mission, strange as it was, but he did understand why it had _

_to be done. After all it wasn't wise to let mortals know that immortals, roamed the land. _

_He started to plan what had to be done to protect his land. He would need a home, and a _

_name for his land. Sanfer, for that was his name here in the mortal realms, needed a _

_name for the land that he would be lord of,…………… perhaps Trebond would work. _

H.E. 427

He came back to himself to find Alanna staring at him. "I see you are back with the

living. He stalked off.

It had been strange to be a man after being cat for so long, but very ability of

being able to avoid the questions of people who were curious helped. People were always

wondering why had had god eyes, his purple irises stood out, but what people didn't

know was that they weren't god eyes at all. That had been a one time thing though, being

human in the Mortal Realm with a mortal body. Every other time he had been a cat, his

true form. He wondered why all his memories had been crowding his thoughts.

Pondering it, he came to the conclusion that once again his life in the Mortal Realms was

drawing to a close.

A few days later…………………

Faithful raced through the debris on the floor and dodged still more falling to the

ground. The earthquake was ripping the palace apart and he had to find Alanna. He found

her in Thom's chambers clinging to his cooling hand. He called her name several times

but she didn't reply. He got her attention finally by latching onto her leg with his claws

and teeth, kicking ferociously until the pain roused her.

"What are you _doin_g?" she screeched.

_Wake up, King's Champion!_ he angrily replied. _You have no time for this—he's _

_going to rip the earth open!_

"Where's Si-cham?"

As is in answer, the old man staggered in, clutching a bloody right arm. Alanna grabbed a

towel and swiftly bandaged the priest before he lost more blood. Si-cham's right hand

was gone. Without the rough tourniquet he wore already, he would be dead.

"Don't use you Gift- " he warned as she worked. "Brandy."

Alanna handed him a bottle and watched as he gulped its contents. Si-cham put

the bottle down. "I am a fool." His voice was stronger. "Never challenged in all these

years, thinking I could be bested. It's not enough_ I_ pay for my folly. You will, too." He

gripped the table with his left hand and met Alanna's eyes. "Open you mind."

She stepped back. "Why?"

"There's no time to explain. You waste what time we have! If you don't know all,

you risk disaster. Do you doubt me?" he whispered. "I made a mistake. Because I didn't

make two we are alive. _You _ cannot even make one."

Alanna closed her eyes. A second later she fell flat on her back, out cold. Faithful

noticed at that point that an attacker was trying to get into the room. Si-cham noticed too.

He screamed and Faithful yowled. Si-cham was hit with a double-headed axe in the

collarbone and dropped. Josiane stood in the doorway, splattered with his blood, trying to

work her blade free.

"Why didn't you blast me, you old fool?" she panted. Alanna watched her.

Josiane freed her blade and stepped over the old man's body, smiling. "He told me you'd

be here," she explained. "He said that he didn't think I could take you but I was welcome

to try. You aren't doing well, are you?" She inched forward, ready to pounce.

Maneuvering for room, Alanna tripped over a footstool. Josiane darted forward, her axe

high.

They'd forgotten Faithful. Screeching, he flew into Josiane's face, clinging as she

howled and dropped the axe.

_Stop Roger!_ He ordered as Josiane gripped his body. The Princess hurled him

down and stepped with all her might. Faithful cried with agony. He didn't see what

happened next but he did feel it when Alanna picked him up._ Time to go home,_ he cried,

and was gone.

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He rejoined his brethren in the Divine Realms and was once again among the stars.

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H.E. 659

A black cat sat with its slender tail twitching at the foot of the tribute statue to

Alanna the Lioness H.E.430. A black haired toddler with copper eyes raced down the

palace courtyard steps and skidded to a halt in front of the statue. A plump blond haired

green eyed nurse soon followed from a doorway, puffing heavily. When she saw that the

toddler had stopped he slowed down and called, "Your Highness Thayet get you small

butt back here." Thayet turned around to look at her nurse, shook her tiny head, and

turned back to the statue and raised her chubby hands to the black cat.

"Kitty." She cooed at the cat perched on the base. The nurse came up behind her

and scooped her up in her arms.

"Your highness, now is not the time to play with cats, we have to get you all

ready to go play with your cousins from Carthak."

Thayet turned in her arms and reached again toward the cat and called, "Kitty."

_Not until the sticky fingers period is over and not a second before will you be allowed to _

_touch me._ The cat told Thayet as he leapt off the statue base and followed Thayet and her

caretaker back into the palace. Thayet giggled. "Pretty kitty." The cat sighed.

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I wrote most of this but a portion I took from Lioness Rampant with slight alterations to

make it more from Faithful's pov. ……… is the almost word for word section from the

book. Just a slight disclaimer. Please Review.


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